Convert agricultural commodity grain production between standard bushels, metric tonnes, pounds, short tons, hundredweight (cwt), and bin cubic feet. Includes commercial moisture shrink and financial contract valuation.
Market cash bid per bushel
Inside round bin diameter
Domestic cash markets trade in volumetric bushels (bu), while international ocean freight and export tenders are strictly transacted in metric tonnes (MT). A minor miscalculation in legal commodity test weights can cause tens of thousands of dollars in dispute on multi-ton grain shipments.
Hauling grain above the USDA standard trade moisture (such as 15.5% for corn or 13.0% for soybeans) triggers weight deductions. Our engine computes both the evaporative water weight loss and commercial elevator handling shrink factors so producers know their net payable bushels before unloading.
Estimating on-farm silo capacity with generic cube formulas ignores conical roof peaks and pack factors. This leads to costly spillage, grain spoiling outside bins, or unexpected harvest halts when storage fills prematurely during peak harvest runs.
Converting combine yield monitors into gross truck scale pounds and short tons allows grain cart operators to load tandem and semi-trailers to maximum legal road limits without exceeding federal 80,000-lb gross axle allowances or facing DOT fines.
Pre-calibrated test weights for yellow corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, rye, and sunflowers.
Simultaneously converts bushels, pounds, metric tonnes, short tons, hundredweight (cwt), and kilograms.
Evaluates water loss and handling shrink to determine net pay bushels and dockage value in real time.
Models round silo eave height and peaked roof cone geometry to calculate accurate bushel and metric ton capacity.
Choose corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, or select Custom to input a specific elevator test weight (lbs/bu).
Select your baseline measurement unit: Bushels (bu), Metric Tonnes (MT), Pounds (lbs), Short Tons, or Hundredweight (cwt).
Type your scale ticket net weight, grain cart total, or forward delivery contract quantity.
Enter current grain moisture percentage, baseline standard moisture, and your local cash elevator price bid.
Enter silo inside diameter, sidewall eave height, and cone peak height to verify available bin storage volume.
Instantly review export metric tonnes, net commercial pay bushels after shrink, total pounds, and gross crop value.
Under the United States Grain Standards Act, a bushel is legally defined as a fixed weight per Winchester bushel volume:
| Grain Commodity | Legal Test Weight (lbs/bu) | Kilograms per Bushel | Bushels per Metric Tonne | Standard Trade Moisture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelled Corn (Yellow/White) | 56.0 lbs | 25.40 kg | 39.368 bu/MT | 15.5% |
| Soybeans | 60.0 lbs | 27.22 kg | 36.744 bu/MT | 13.0% |
| Wheat (Hard Red Winter / Spring) | 60.0 lbs | 27.22 kg | 36.744 bu/MT | 13.5% |
| Barley | 48.0 lbs | 21.77 kg | 45.930 bu/MT | 14.5% |
| Oats | 32.0 lbs | 14.51 kg | 68.894 bu/MT | 14.0% |
| Grain Sorghum (Milo) | 56.0 lbs | 25.40 kg | 39.368 bu/MT | 14.0% |
| Canola / Rapeseed | 50.0 lbs | 22.68 kg | 44.092 bu/MT | 10.0% |
International trade and domestic grain elevator scale tickets rely on exact mass conversions derived from the standard metric tonne (\(1\text{ MT} = 2,204.62262\text{ lbs}\)):
Where \(TW\) is the legal test weight in lbs/bu (e.g. 56 for corn, 60 for soybeans/wheat).
For 1,000 MT of corn: \(1,000 \times 2204.62 \div 56 = 39,368.26\text{ bu}\).
The historic Winchester bushel was an English volumetric container measuring exactly 2,150.42 cubic inches (\(\approx 1.244456\) cubic feet). In modern commercial grain farming, the term "bushel" is virtually always a measure of weight, not physical volume:
When a commercial grain semi-truck rolls onto a certified grain elevator scale, the gross truck weight minus the tare truck weight yields the net pounds of grain. If a load of yellow corn weighs 56,000 lbs, the grower is credited for exactly 1,000 bushels (\(56,000 \div 56 = 1,000\)), regardless of whether the corn occupied 1,244 cubic feet or 1,350 cubic feet in the trailer bed.
Elevators contract grain at standardized moisture baselines (15.5% for corn, 13.0% for soybeans). When grain is harvested wet, weight is lost via water evaporation during mechanical drying and physical grain dust/chaff expulsion:
Drying corn from 20.5% down to 15.5% loses \((20.5 - 15.5) / (100 - 15.5) \times 100 = 5.92\%\) in pure moisture weight.
Commercial elevators bundle water loss + 0.5% handling handling dust into a flat 1.35% to 1.40% shrink per point of excess moisture.
Round corrugated steel grain bins feature a cylindrical lower barrel and a 25° to 30° conical metal roof. The angle of repose of flowing grain forms a natural upper cone:
Multiply \(V_{\text{cyl}}\) by 0.803564 to determine level bushels.
Adds 8% to 15% bonus storage capacity above the bin eave.
In North American agricultural markets, Hundredweight (abbreviated cwt) represents exactly 100 pounds. While Midwest cash grains trade in bushels, specialty crops (sunflower seeds, edible dry beans, lentils, rough rice) and livestock trade exclusively in dollars per hundredweight ($/cwt).
Global ag trade relies universally on metric tonnes rather than Winchester bushels. Panamax and Capesize ocean bulk carriers are chartered based on deadweight tonnage (DWT) and vessel draft restrictions in maritime waterways like the Panama Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway. One Panamax ag vessel typically carries 55,000 to 65,000 metric tonnes—equivalent to over 2.5 million bushels of US corn.
When grain test weight falls below standard thresholds due to late planting, severe summer drought, or early fall killing frost, grain elevators apply dockage deductions to the cash settlement price:
| Grade Standard | Corn Min TW | Soybeans Min TW | Wheat Min TW | Typical Elevator Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. No. 1 | 56.0 lbs/bu | 56.0 lbs/bu | 60.0 lbs/bu | $0.00 (Standard Premium) |
| U.S. No. 2 (Contract Base) | 54.0 lbs/bu | 54.0 lbs/bu | 58.0 lbs/bu | $0.00 (Standard Contract) |
| U.S. No. 3 | 52.0 lbs/bu | 52.0 lbs/bu | 56.0 lbs/bu | -$0.02 to -$0.04 / bu |
| Sample Grade (<49 lb) | <49.0 lbs/bu | <49.0 lbs/bu | <50.0 lbs/bu | -$0.15 to -$0.35 / bu |
To evaluate international export tenders against local domestic futures quotes on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), use direct commodity conversion multipliers:
$$\text{\$/MT} = \text{\$/bu} \times 39.368$$
$4.50/bu corn = $177.16 / MT
$$\text{\$/MT} = \text{\$/bu} \times 36.744$$
$11.25/bu beans = $413.37 / MT
$$\text{\$/MT} = \text{\$/bu} \times 36.744$$
$6.00/bu wheat = $220.46 / MT
Practical agricultural answers on bushel weights, metric conversions, elevator moisture shrink, and storage math.
